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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
This is a wonderful, while heart wrenching, story. Multiple historical incidents woven into one story with endearing characters. Protagonist Fenna Vos tells us the story of her life which includes being orphaned at a young age, living through the 1913 Italian Hall disaster in Michigan, escaping an orphanage, and developing a career as an illusionist which leads to working in London with Christopher Clayton Hutton on secret war effort inventions. Woven into the story are Nazi atrocities such as kidnapping of children and the killing of Jews and those who tried to help them. This was a story that I could not put down. Highly recommended.
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not sure how I didn't write a review for this one back in October. What an amazing story based on true accounts during WWII. I loved Sold on a Monday and loved the story of Fenna and her skills as an illusionist. Another great story by Kristina McMorris.
adventurous
reflective
sad
was bored with the first half but really enjoyed the last half
Took me a bit to get into this book but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Loved how much actual history was used & the pictures at the end
Historical fiction is my absolute favourite genre so I was super excited to get my hands on this book early.
This was a great book and I really liked Fen and was rooting for her the whole way. The way the whole story was set up to use her childhood love of magic/illusion and Houdini was perfect. From her escaping from the orphanage to escaping from Holland during the war to her career before and after the war.
I found the first part of the book a bit slow. Once Fenna was recruited to work for M19 the pace of the book really picked up and it was hard to put down!
My only knock on this story was the ending with Arie (no spoilers here). I really liked his character and was rooting for them as a couple the whole way through. The whole situation in Holland was not really believable but this is a fictional story so I understand the author's spin on this.
Make sure you read the Author's Note at the end. It is fascinating to see how she pulled the story together and did her research.
This was a great book and I really liked Fen and was rooting for her the whole way. The way the whole story was set up to use her childhood love of magic/illusion and Houdini was perfect. From her escaping from the orphanage to escaping from Holland during the war to her career before and after the war.
I found the first part of the book a bit slow. Once Fenna was recruited to work for M19 the pace of the book really picked up and it was hard to put down!
My only knock on this story was the ending with Arie (no spoilers here). I really liked his character and was rooting for them as a couple the whole way through. The whole situation in Holland was not really believable but this is a fictional story so I understand the author's spin on this.
Make sure you read the Author's Note at the end. It is fascinating to see how she pulled the story together and did her research.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story follows Fenna from growing up in Michigan’s Copper Country to being knee deep in the middle of WWII. Fenna has been fascinated with magic and Houdini since she was a little girl. When tragedy strikes, she is forced into fending for herself. Fast forward to 1943, she’s a part of the British military intelligence, tasking with creating hidden objects for aid of British soldiers. Realizing a friend from the past is in danger, she reluctantly signs up to go undercover in the Netherlands. A lot more than she bargains for awaits her and all she has to do is worry about fending for herself and being two steps ahead of her past. I loved this book and eagerly kept turning the pages wanting to know what awaited Fenna. I almost threw this across the room during a part that utterly broke my heart! Loved that my hometown is mentioned several times during the book and shined a spotlight on a part of Michigan’s history that isn’t well know. Highly recommend this book for not only the high pace action but the great storytelling!
Chose the wrong edition the first time and wanted all the pages I read to be recorded.
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No